Silvadene (silver sulfadiazine) cream is a topical antibacterial drug used to treat or prevent bacterial infections associated with burns. It works against a wide range of microorganisms that cause infections.
How to Use It
Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. Here is some guidance on how to use the cream:
- Appropriately wash and dry the burned skin area daily to help remove dead skin.
- Wear a sterile, disposable glove to apply silver sulfadiazine.
- Apply a 1/16-inch (0.2-centimeter) thick layer of cream on the wound area.
- Apply two times a day.
- Keep the burned area covered with cream at all times.
- Reapply the cream if it comes off for any reason.
- Continue using Silvadene as prescribed by your healthcare provider until satisfactory healing has occurred.
- Do not stop using it unless your healthcare provider advises you to do so or you develop a reaction to the medication.
- Call your healthcare provider if you have any side effects or develop an infection.
What Is Silvadene Cream Used For?
Silvadene is Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved to prevent and treat wound infections that can lead to sepsis (wound sepsis) in people with second and third-degree burns. Wound sepsis is a complication from an infection starting in a wound that spreads into the bloodstream.
Silvadene can attack and kill a wide range of bacteria, including many Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, as well as yeast. It is also active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common cause of infection in burn wounds.
Silvadene is sometimes used off-label (for uses not approved by the FDA) to treat skin infections other than burns, including ulcers.
How Does Silvadene Cream Work?
The exact mechanism of action (how it works) of Silvadene cream is currently unknown. However, it does work differently from other sulfa drugs.
Silver sulfadiazine is made up of silver ions and sulfadiazine bound together. Silver ions bind to various cell components to kill bacteria. It kills bacteria by attacking the cell membranes and cell walls, blocking bacterial growth.
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How Long Can You Use Silvadene Cream?
Always use Silvadene as prescribed by your healthcare provider. Continue applying the cream until proper healing has occurred or the burn wound area is ready for skin grafting (a surgical procedure where healthy skin is transplanted to cover or replace damaged or missing skin).
Do not stop using it without consulting your healthcare provider to avoid the possibility of a re-infection. If you experience any side effects, consult your provider.
Potential Side Effects
Common side effects of Silvadene may include:
- Pain
- Burning sensations
- Itching
Tell your healthcare provider if any of the symptoms do not go away.
Silvadene may cause some severe side effects that need immediate medical attention. These include:
- Bleeding or bruising
- Skin necrosis (cell and tissue death)
- Erythema multiforme (sudden raised patches or blisters on palms, soles, and face)
- Skin discoloration
- Interstitial nephritis (inflammation in the kidney tubes)
Silvadene may cause a decrease in the white blood cell count (leukopenia), particularly neutrophils, known as neutropenia. This can increase the risk of an infection.
Using Silvadene alongside a drug called cimetidine (commonly used to treat stomach ulcers and acid reflux) can also cause an increased incidence of leukopenia.
Is Silvadene Cream Safe?
Silvadene is a safe and effective treatment option, but precautionary measures may be necessary for certain circumstances:
- Breastfeeding: The release of Silvadene into human breast milk and its potential effects on both the mother and nursing child are unknown. The use of drugs in breastfeeding people should depend on the importance of the drug to the mother and require close monitoring.
- Liver and kidney problems: When your liver and kidneys aren’t functioning properly, they may not clear medications out of the body as well as they should. This could lead to them building up over time. Your healthcare provider may need to monitor your kidneys for too high levels of the drug.
- A genetic disorder called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency: G6PD is an enzyme that protects red blood cells. If you are deficient in this enzyme, using Silvadene cream may lead to hemolysis (the destruction of red blood cells).
Ask your healthcare provider whether to keep using or stop the treatment in case of new or worsening side effects.
Who Should Not Use It?
Silvadene cream is not suitable for use in people who are:
- Allergic to silver sulfadiazine or other sulpha drugs
- Pregnant
- Infants less than 2 months of age
Silvadene is only for topical use. Never use this drug through any other route of administration.
How Effective Is Silvadene?
Silvadene has been used for decades to treat burn wounds. However, many different drugs on the market are sometimes more effective. Silvadene can be switched or combined with other forms of treatment to improve a person's quality of life and decrease hospital costs.
One study compared the effectiveness of applying silver sulfadiazine cream once or twice daily. According to the findings, the once-a-day application was effective in wound healing and decreased hospital stays, thereby reducing the hospital cost burden.
